John ix stanley



(No Model.)

J. D. STANLEY. COMBINED TRACE AND HOLDBAUK AND SHAFT CONNECTION THEREFOR.

No 559,544. Patented May 5, 1896.

NITED STATES ATENT lnrrcn.

JOIIN I). STANLEY, OF I'IONCUT, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO AUSTIN P. MERRILL, OF SAME PLACE.

COMBINED TRACE AND HOLDBACK AND SHAFT CONNECTION THEREFOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 559, 54d, dated May 5, 1896. Application filed November 29, 1895. $erial No. 570,432. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN D. STANLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Honcut, Butte county, State of California, have invented an Improvement in a Combined Trace and I-Ioldback and Shaft Connection Therefor; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to that class of shaft connections for vehicles in which the trace is a short one and is connected with the shaft instead of with the whifiietree and my invention consists in a combined trace and holdback adapted at one end to be connected with the breaststrap or with the hames of the harness, as the case may be, and having means at the other end for readily connecting it with the ring or loop of the breeching and a springcontrolled fastening-lug or cockeye on the the shaft, with which the combined trace and holdback is adapted to engage.

The objects of my invention are to simplify the work of hitching up and to provide for such a yielding or spring connection with the shaft as will make the draft about equivalent in character to that obtained by connecting with a whiffletree, which latter, as well as a long trace, may be dispensed with. These objects are attained by having the trace and holdback combined in one, provided with means for readily incorporating it into the general harness and for fitting it over a yielding or spring-controlled cockeye or lug upon the shaft, thus reducing materially the number of operations, minimizing the time expended, and effecting the necessary yielding draft to avoid jerks and sudden shocks in starting and pulling.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of my device. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the spring-controlled cockeye, a portion of the casing I-I being broken away.

A single strap or two straps firmly and permanently connected together form the combined trace and holdback-strap, of which 0 represents the trace portion, and a the holdback-strap portion.

In practice it will be best to unite two separate straps, for the reason that the trace portion is usually a very much heavier strap than the holdback portion need be, and consequently I have herein shown the combined device as consisting of two straps firmly and permanently stitched together at a The forward end of the trace portion a is provided with holes or other means adapting it to be connected with the breast-strap B of the harness or with the hames, if a collarharness is used.

The rear end of the holdback portion a is provided with a buckle-loop (0 whereby it may be lengthened or shortened, according to circumstances, and in this loop is attached a snap-hook C, by which it is readily connected with and disconnected from the ring D of the breeching E.

In the combined strap, at the point of junction or elsewhere, as the case may be, is made the hole or socket a F is the shaft of the vehicle. To the upper side of this shaft, at any suitable point, preferably at a point a little back of that at which it is supported by the shaft-bearers, is secured, by a clip G, a casing or housing H, closed on all sides except the bottom, in which is seated and adapted to slide the stem or shank 7c of the lug or cockeye K. A springI is seated within the casing or housing and is adapted to control the movement of the shank or stem is, and upon the inner end of the shank or stem, within the closed ends of the casing, is a'nut by which the tension of the spring may be regulated. The opposite end of the shank or stem projects through the closed end wall of the casing or housing and is turned upwardly at right angles, having the upper portion enlarged to form substantially a flattened disk adapted to lie next to the horse to form a broad smooth surface to prevent chafing. From the outer side of the disk and away from the horse projects a lug or cookeye K, which is adapted to be readily fitted to the socket or hole a in the combined or two-part strap A.

To harness up, it is only necessary to make this engagement, which can be readily effected, and when it is necessary to remove the breeching or holdback-strap this can readily be done by disconnecting the snap-hook.

I am aware that it is not new in this class of devices to have a short trace connected with a spring-controlled lug or cockeye on the shaft; but in such cases the holdbackstrap is separate from the trace and is either connected in the ordinary manner with the shaft or to some portion of the bracket or framework which carries the lug or cockeye. This requires a double movement in hitching up and unhitching, which is entirely avoided by my combined trace and holdback, requiring but a single movement, and, moreover, with a combined trace and holdback, the two component port-ions being connected to the same fastening, exercise their functions j ointly,thus holding the harness well together.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. An improved trace and holdback, and shaft connection, consisting of a trace portion and a holdback portion extending in line, having their meeting ends overlapping and permanently and directly united, with alongitudinally-extending socket or hole in the united ends of both straps, said trace portion being adjustably connected with the breaststrap or hames of the harness and said holdback portion having a snap-hook in its fold whereby it may be readily connected with and disconnected from the breeohing, a casing on the upper side of the shaft, closed on all sides except the bottom, a stem or shank confined within the casing, having one end projecting through one end wall thereof and bent upwardly, and having a flattened portion or disk to lie next to the horse, said disk having a lug or cockeye projecting from its opposite side away from the horse, adapted to be fitted to the opening or socket in the meeting ends of the trace and holdback straps, a spring on the stem or shank and a nut for adjusting the tension thereof.

2. The combination, with the combined trace and holdback strap united together in line, and having a socket or hole at their junction, said trace to be adj ustably connected with a breast-strap or hames and said holdback having a snap-hook whereby it is detachably connected with a ring in the breeching, of a casing on the top side of the shaft, closed on all sides except the bottom, a clip securing the casing to the shaft, a stem or shank within the casing, projecting through one end wall thereof and thence turned upwardly at right angles and formed with a flattened disk forming a broad smooth bearing next to the horse, a lug or cockeye projecting outwardly from the opposite face of the disk and adapted to engage the socket or opening in the trace and holdback strap, a spring on the stem or shank and a nut on the stem or shank bearing against the spring and regulating the tension thereof.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

, JOHN D. STANLEY.

\Vitnesses:

D. S. ELY, J. G. Pucn. 

